Life of Siberian Cranes in 10 Impressive Photos

Cranes, specially the rare cranes are the fascinating subject for bird photography.  There are few pictures of these endangered Siberian Cranes in the wild in Mongolia because of its rarity. Siberian Crane is one of the most threatened of the 15 cranes species remaining on Earth. Bird Mongolia share with you some fascinating moments of those cranes that we cannot clearly see with naked eye. Enjoy an impressive life of Siberian Cranes in picture by photographer Batzaya Choijiljav.

BRIEF FACTS: SIBERIAN CRANE

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Leucogeranus leucogeranus

COMMON NAME: Siberian White Crane

STATUS: IUCN: CR

POPULATION: ~ 3,500 – 4,000

RANGE: Mongolia, South China, Tundra

DIET: Omnivore

LIFESPAN: 13 years

HEIGHT: 140 cm, 5 ft

WEIGHT: 6 kg, 13 lbs

Fact Resource: www.iucnredlist.org

Every year they fly to breed in the Arctic and spend the winter in warmer wetlands in Asia. In Mongolia, Siberian Crane are uncommon passage migrant may occur in wetlands of eastern region. They have one of the longest migrations among all cranes. Their wintering site in Poyang in China holds more than 90 percent of the total population.

Adult cranes' faces are bare of feathers and brick-red in color. © Batzaya Choijiljav

 Their plumage is white except for the primary wing feathers, which are black. © Batzaya Choijiljav

Juvenile cranes' faces are a dark red color, and the feathers of their heads and necks are a light rust color. © Batzaya Choijiljav

Younger cranes have mottled brown and white plumage, and hatchlings are a solid brown color. © Batzaya Choijiljav

Great Shots of Siberian Crane Fights

Cranes are famous for their songs and dances that accompany their mating rituals. Crane pairs usually stay together until of one of them dies. They establish breeding and feeding territories, which the defend aggressively against intruders. The male is most active in defending the territory by fighting with strangers.

Crane pairs establish large breeding territories in wetlands and grasslands and zealously defend them. © Batzaya Choijiljav

Intruders are warned off with a loud trumpeting. © Batzaya Choijiljav

Thank you dear birder for taking your time to enjoy our Bird Mongolia Blog. We, the team of Bird Mongolia, are always trying our best to share our knowledge of Birds in Mongolia along with copyrighted photographs of the birds taken by our director, photographer, traveler Batzaya Choijiljav.

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